How I display my sand collection and shells

In a previous post, “Why I love islands: beachcombing (sand and shell collecting),” I shared how I became fascinated with combing the beaches for shells. Although I grew up in southern Indiana, far from an ocean, I became exposed to turquoise ocean waters and white, sandy beaches during multiple childhood vacations in Florida with my family.

Years later, I began bringing back sand from my travels. I used to fill a couple of 35mm film containers with sand. Later, I took small zip-lok bags with me to scoop up sand from the beaches I visited. After becoming certified to scuba dive in 1992, I began traveling to more islands in the Caribbean and Mexico, and my sand collection grew. Later, my travel writing career took me farther afield, to tropical destinations in the South Pacific, Europe, and other places in the U.S. and Canada.

As you’ll read in my earlier article, I began to display my collection in small glass bottles, labeled on the bottom with the name of the island where the sand was collected. After a while, the baggies of sand ended up in a box, waiting for the time I would get back to my bottling the rest of them.

During 2020, when we were all at home more due to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of back burner projects made their way to the front burner. Travel plans were largely cancelled (although I did manage a road trip to the Florida Panhandle in October 2020), and we found ourselves spending more time at home than we had in years.

A box in our upstairs storage room labeled “Sand and Shells” called out to me. The time was right. No reason to procrastinate. There were no pending deadlines for writing projects and no upcoming trips to tropical destinations to plan for. Along with the bags filled with sand, I found shells I’d brought back from trips over the years. Those, too, needed sorting, cleaning, and displaying.

It took some time, but I finally found the right piece of furniture to become the focal point for my display. I ordered it online from Wayfair, but there are multiple sites that have bookcases, etageres and other cabinetry to include in your search.

I found this etagere online, which now holds my sand collection, shells, and other small souvenirs from my tropical travels.

I transferred all those baggies of sand into 4 oz. glass bottles I ordered online, used the included twine and tags to identify them, and began arranging them on my new etagere.

My sand collection to date

The center shelf holds the majority of my sand collection.

More sand bottles are displayed on the left side of the etagere.

…and still more sand bottles are on the right side.

My collection includes sand from 70+ beaches, including:

(Beaches below with links will take you to Destination Pages or posts on Tropical Travel Girl about that destination.)

Anguilla, West Indies                                                                                                                                                                         Anna Maria Island, Florida, USA
Antigua, West Indies
Barbados, West Indies
Bequia, Grenadines
Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands                                                                                                                                                Boysie Cay Beach, Exumas, Bahamas
Bora Bora, French Polynesia
Cancun, Mexico                                                                                                                                                                                    Coco Plum Beach, Exumas, Bahamas                                                                                                                                    Corfu, Greece
Cozumel, Mexico
Curacao, Caribbean Netherlands
Destin, Florida, USA
Dominica, West Indies                                                                                                                                                                Emerald Bay Beach, Exumas, Bahamas
Fakarava, Tuamotus, French Polynesia
Florida Keys (Bahia Honda), USA
Figaro Beach, Corsica
Ft. Myers Beach, Florida                                                                                                                                                                  Grand Cayman, West Indies
Grayton Beach, Florida, USA
Grenada (Grand Anse Beach), West Indies
Grenada (Pink Gin Beach), West Indies
Indiana Dunes, USA
Islamorada, Florida Keys, USA
Isle des Saintes, Guadeloupe
Jamaica, West Indies
Kauai, Hawaii, USA                                                                                                                                                                              Lido Key, Florida, USA
Mayreau, Grenadines
Moorea, French Polynesia
Mykonos, Greece
Navarre Beach, Florida, USA
Nevis, West Indies
North Carolina (Emerald Isle), USA                                                                                                                                           North Padre Island, Texas
Nova Scotia (Peggy’s Cove), Canada
Oxnard, CA (Mandalay Beach), USA
Palm Island, Grenadines                                                                                                                                                            Paradise Cove Beach, Malibu, California, USA
Petit St. Vincent, Grenadines
Port Aransas, TX, USA                                                                                                                                                                    Prince Edward Island, Canada
Puerto Morelos, Mexico (Grand Residences)
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico                                                                                                                                                                 Rangiroa, French Polynesia
Riviera Maya, Mexico (Mayakoba)
Sanibel Island, Florida, USA
Santorini, Greece
St. Barts, West Indies
St. Croix, USVI
St. John, USVI (Caneel Bay)
St. Kitts (Turtle Beach), West Indies
St. Lucia, West Indies                                                                                                                                                                          St. Maarten, West Indies                                                                                                                                                                    St. Martin (Grand Case), West Indies
St. Thomas, USVI
St. Tropez, France
Tahaa (Motu), French Polynesia
Tahiti, French Polynesia
Tahiti, French Polynesia (Le Meridien)
Tobago (Pigeon Point)
Tortola, BVI
Trinidad, West Indies                                                                                                                                                                     Tropic of Cancer Beach, Exumas, Bahamas
Tulum, Mexico
Turks & Caicos (Provo)
Vomo Island, Fiji

Casual sand collector vs. serious sand collector

I consider myself to be a “casual collector” of sand. Since I renewed my interest in getting my collected sand bottled and tagged, I found the International Sand Collectors Society group on Facebook. Some of its members are super-serious about their collections, which can number into the tens of thousands.

While I am most interested in collecting sand from places I’ve actually visited, some seek sand from every corner of the globe, carefully recording each sample’s coordinates (latitude/longitude). Others photograph sand using microscopes. It is fascinating to view the grains close-up, to see the colors and types of minerals that make up the sand we sink our toes into.

Here’s what sand from Petit St. Vincent’s West End Beach looks like under the microscope, showing pink coral, shell fragments and bleached sea urchin spines. ©Frederick Haynes

Still seeking sands from beaches I’ve visited

I am still seeking sand from beaches I have visited but failed to collect sand. Through the International Sand Collectors Society’s Facebook group (and other Facebook sand swapping groups), I discovered it is possible to swap sands with others.

Since I have many extra sand samples, I have arranged to “swap” small amounts of sand with other collectors. It will be interesting to see how many I can add to my collection, until I am able to travel to new destinations and add to it on my own!

Displaying my shells

I also took time to sort through boxes and bags of shells I’d collected throughout the years. I’ve incorporated many of them into my display in small dishes or bottles. Others are either on display in other areas of my home or are waiting to be used in craft projects I have in mind.

I love the mini shells! I displayed some of them in a piece of a large conch shell i found on the beach.

Shells of like or similar kind are placed in small shell dishes.

Starfish and shells are displayed on another shelf.

Pieces of coral are also grouped together.

An empty bottle is lit up with tiny “bottle lights” adding to the display of sea urchins, coral, a crab claw, and shells.

The center shelf below my sand collection are more shells and a starfish. The wine bottle contains sand from Petit St. Vincent, Grenadines.

Sand dollars and a spirula inside an abalone shell.

Burrfish (a type of porcupinefish), sea urchins, coral and shells fill another shelf.

I’m amazed by the diverse colors and shapes of shells.

I often refer to shell guides like this one (below), as well as online shell identification sites to identify and learn more about shells. The Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum, Sanibel Island, Florida, offers a free shell guide on its website, as well as an app for iPhone users ($1.99 on the App Store under Shell Museum).

Any other sand collectors and/or shell collectors out there? I would love to see how you have displayed and decorated with them!